And Then There Was One
by OreoLine00
Summary: Katie Bell has known all along that her best friends were going to graduate from Hogwarts a year before her, and was okay with it, but now that she is about to begin her 7th year, she finds herself angry. ONE SHOT.


So you're probably thinking 'This doesn't make sense! They're all the same age', but…

Until the very end of _Order of the Phoenix_, we all just kind of assumed that the three Gryffindor Chasers were all in the same year at Hogwarts, but then find out that Katie Bell is, in fact, a year younger than Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, along with the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. We find this out when Ginny is telling Harry how she wants to be a Chaser the next year, instead of a Seeker, because Alicia and Angelina will be leaving. So, with that…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katie Bell, her friends, or the world in which they live in. They belong to everyone's hero, Mrs. J.K. Rowling.

**I'm totally dedicating this one to Jagged Epiphany, simply because she finished Old Faces, New Tricks, and I'm incredibly excided for her. We all can't wait for the next one!**

And Then There Was One 

The first day of Hogwarts had always been one of my favorite days of the year. Most of the time you go a whole summer without seeing your friends, and then when you finally meet them again on Platform 9 ¾ it's like you're being reunited with a long lost brother or sister. You spend the whole ride on the Hogwarts Express catching up on things you couldn't possibly explain just by sending owls. You send the boys to another compartment, or wait until they're too engulfed in a game of Exploding Snap to pay attention before you tell the girls about your summer fling. You all make predictions about who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be, or who will win the Quidditch Cup. It's the day that Hogwarts students look forward to all summer.

But on the first day of my seventh, and final year, I didn't want to step foot on that stupid train.

From the moment my parents dropped me off at King's Cross Station that morning, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I felt sick as I pushed my luggage cart through all of the Muggles.

_7. 8. 9. 10._

I had gone too far. I always did, but I usually had someone with me to tell me when to stop. I backed my cart up between platforms nine and ten, checked to make sure that no Muggles were paying attention, and ran through the wall.

When I exited the other side, I saw witches and wizards all around. There were first years clinging to their parents, excited, but scared. There were the mothers, crying and hugging their 'babies', no matter how old they were, thinking 'What if this is the last time I see them?'

All of that was expected and fine, but what killed me were the students who were running to their friends, laughing, chatting, and exchanging _'It's so good to see you'_s.

I saw Cho Chang and a group of Ravenclaw girls laughing together as they walked on to the train. After them, there was a group of Slytherin boys, and while they weren't saying much, it was obvious they were friends. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be little cliques of friends, all catching up on the last two months.

I stood there for a while, looking around. Maybe if I looked hard enough, they would show up. I must have been standing there for a while because before I knew it, a great whistle came from the Hogwarts Express. Still, I didn't move.

"Hey, Bell, are you coming?" Jimmy Peakes, one of last year's Beaters, called from out the window of the train. I looked at him, nodded, and slowly made my way to the entrance of the scarlet train. I gave my trunk to one of the train workers and left my cart with him.

Before I walked onto the train, I sighed, giving one last look around. They weren't coming.

'_Of course they're not coming,_' I thought to myself as I found an empty compartment. '_Why would they come? It's not like they're students any more._'

I closed the compartment door and pulled down the window shades. I sunk down into one of the soft seats, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

Once the train started moving, I realized I needed to stop staring at the door. No matter how much I looked at it, they weren't going to come bursting through. They twins wouldn't try to get us to try their latest test product. Lee wouldn't be flipping through the latest issue of _Quidditch Fanatic_. Angelina and Alicia wouldn't be the first to share their summer stories. There would be no summer stories.

This year, the twins would be busy with their shop. Angelina would be off playing professional Quidditch. Lee would be traveling all around the world, and Alicia would be making tons of money designing new cloaks, or something. And I would be at Hogwarts. By myself.

I didn't know why I was so upset- and so angry. Who was I supposed to be angry at? Their parents for choosing to have children a year before my parents did? My parents for waiting too long? Professor McGonagall for not failing them all, making them repeat their seventh year? There was no one to be angry at.

But I still was.

Maybe I was angry at myself for being so selfish. But then, didn't I have the right to be?

They all had each other. They could see each other any time they pleased, but I would be lucky if I saw them after I graduated.

I guess that's what I get for not giving any effort to make other friends. Sure, there were the other students in my year, but for the previous six years I didn't think that I needed them.

I _didn't_ need them. I _had_ friends. Fred, Alicia, Lee, Angelina, and George were the first people I met at Hogwarts. From day one they were nice to me. They showed me where my classes were. They defended me from Marcus Flint, Ryan Montague, and the rest of the Slytherins who picked on me because I was small. They taught me what I think is the most important thing in my life- how to play Quidditch. With friends like that, who needed anyone else?

I wasn't going to have any friends this year. I knew it. I guess that was the price I was going to have to pay. But for what- having a tight group of friends? It seemed unfair to me.

This year was going to be a long one. It was going to take a lot of confidence and a lot of heart for me to get through it.

That's what Gryffindors are there for, right? To be bold? To be willing? To take risks? Making new friends didn't seem like a risk that I was too willing to take.

I sighed. Whatever was going to happen, I was going to have to try my best to get through it. There was nothing else I could do.

I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling tired. I stretched out along the seats of the compartment- it wasn't like there was going to be anyone coming in.

Before I drifted into a light sleep, I thought to myself '_And then there was one.'_

_---_

There you go. It wasn't nearly as good as I imagined it to be. I just had some kid of brain shut down. But anyway, I was in a bad mood today, and this story was kind of a way to make me feel better.

Even though it kind of sucked, I hope you enjoyed it.

---

New You and Me chapter soon, I think. It's not written yet, but I'm in the mood…

Who saw the Goblet of Fire movie? It came out on Friday, it's now Sunday, and I've already seen it twice! Besides the fact that they left out a whole lot, I think it was amazing. I cried both times I saw it.


End file.
